URL Encoder / Decoder
Encode and decode URLs and query parameters online for free — instantly, entirely inside your browser.
What is URL encoding?
URL encoding (also called percent-encoding) converts characters that aren't safe to use directly in a URL — spaces, ampersands, question marks, and non-ASCII characters — into a `%XX` format that browsers and servers can parse unambiguously. It's what turns a space into `%20` or `+`, and what lets a query parameter safely contain characters like `&` or `=` without breaking the URL's structure. Decoding reverses the process, turning percent-encoded text back into its original, readable form.
This tool encodes and decodes both individual URL components — like a single query parameter value — and full URLs, which need a different set of characters left untouched so the URL's own structure (`:`, `/`, `?`, `&`) stays intact.
GuideHow to use it
Component vs. Full URL scope
"Component" encoding (`encodeURIComponent`) escapes every character that isn't safe inside a single URL component, including `&`, `=`, `?`, and `/` — the right choice for encoding an individual query parameter value that might itself contain those characters. "Full URL" encoding (`encodeURI`) leaves characters that give a URL its structure — like `:`, `/`, `?`, `&`, and `#` — untouched, and only escapes spaces and other genuinely unsafe characters, which is the right choice when encoding an entire URL rather than a single value that will be inserted into one.
Why it helpsFeatures & benefits
Why this runs entirely in your browser
URLs can contain session tokens, API keys, or other sensitive query parameters, so nothing is uploaded. Encoding and decoding run in JavaScript locally in the tab, which means it keeps working offline once the page has loaded and nothing typed or pasted into it persists after the tab is closed.
Common uses
Encoding a search term or user input before adding it to a query string, decoding a URL copied from a browser address bar or server log to read it clearly, building a redirect URL with an encoded return path, or debugging why a URL with special characters is breaking a request.
Frequently asked questions
A few things people usually want to know before trusting the numbers.
Component encoding escapes every unsafe character, including `&`, `=`, and `/` — right for a single value. Full URL encoding leaves the URL's structural characters untouched — right for encoding an entire URL.
This happens when the input contains a `%` not followed by two valid hex digits, which makes it impossible to decode unambiguously.
Yes. Both encoding modes correctly handle Unicode text, encoding it as UTF-8 percent-encoded sequences.
Yes, using Full URL scope — but if the query string contains parameter values with their own special characters, encode those values individually with Component scope first.
No. All encoding and decoding happens locally in your browser. Nothing typed or pasted here is sent to a server, stored, or shared.